Alhamdulillah, we have reached the last episode of the seerah, the finale. We will continue from where we left off in the last seerah episode, and that is the return of the Prophet PBUH to Madinah from the Hajj.
Return to Madinah
Our Prophet PBUH did not stay in Makkah after he finished Hajjat al-Wada'. Quite literally, on the very last day of Hajj —the 13th day— he performed the Tawaf al-Wada' (Farewell Tawaf), and in the same evening, he began the journey back to Madinah. So our Prophet PBUH returned to Madinah in the month of Hajj, Dhu al-Hijjah, in the 10th year of the Hijrah. And this was his final journey. Once he entered Madinah, he would never leave it after this until he passed away.
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Sending Out Expedition to the Lands of the Romans
Toward the very end of Safar of the 11th year of the Hijrah, the Prophet PBUH decided to send out an expedition to the lands of the Romans (the Byzantine Empire) — in particular, the land of al-Sham; and in particular, Palestine. He made this decision a few weeks before he passed away. He announced to the sahaba to gather together their arms —including amongst them Abu Bakr RA, Umar RA, and many of the senior sahaba— and he chose Usama the son of Zayd ibn Harithah to lead them to conquer Palestine. (Tangents: This is the same Zayd ibn Harithah that once upon a time the Prophet PBUH adopted [see episode 10], and then Islam abolished that adoption [see Quran, 33:5]. This is the same Zayd that we said the sahaba said the day that the Prophet PBUH passed away, "If Zayd had still been alive, no one would have thought of anyone other than Zayd to take over after the Prophet PBUH" [see episode 73]. Zayd was married to Zaynab initially, and then to Ummi Ayman. Who is Ummi Ayman? She was one of the very very very few people still alive who knew the mother and father of the Prophet PBUH; she was the servant of Aminah [see episode 7]. And she had taken care of the Prophet PBUH as a baby. So Ummi Ayman is like a mother figure to the Prophet PBUH. So Ummi Ayman is close to the Prophet PBUH, and Zayd is also close to the Prophet PBUH — and as for their child Usama, he was born literally in the house of the Prophet PBUH and raised in it — so he was like his PBUH own child. And because of this, the Prophet PBUH loved him so much that Usama had the title "Hibbu Rasulillah [حِبُّ رسول الله - the Beloved of the Messenger of Allah]." This is Usama ibn Zayd. And his father Zayd, as we all know, became a shaheed in the Battle of Mu'tah [see episode 73].)
Zayd's son Usama is now 17-18 years old, and the Prophet PBUH assigns him to become the leader of the expedition to al-Sham. In that group were the seniormost sahaba —Abu Bakr, Umar, and others— yet the Prophet PBUH chose Usama to be the leader of the expedition. So rumors began to spread and people began to mumble, "Why should this boy be in charge of us?" And they criticized that, "He is not a Qureshi, and his father was a mawla (freed slave)." So there was this notion among the people — of course not among the senior sahaba, but there was this general talk in the city. And they said —which was a legitimate challenge— that, "He is simply too young to lead us; he is only 17 (or 18) years old."
At this, the Prophet PBUH called all the sahaba and said, "If you dislike his leadership, then remember that you also criticized the leadership of his father before him." He PBUH is reminding them, "You criticized Zayd as well when he was chosen, but look at what he did, how he paved the way for the Muslims, and what a legend he has become." So he PBUH said, "By Allah, he is worthy of being a leader. And this man, Usama, is the most beloved of people to me after his father."
Appointing Usama to be the leader was indeed a very wise decision for many reasons. Of them, Usama's father had been killed by the Romans; thus who better to choose than someone who wanted to exact his vengeance? In fact, in one version, it's said that the Prophet PBUH told Usama, "Go to where your father was killed" — even though technically, Usama wasn't going to go to Mu'tah (he was going beyond, to Palestine); but the Prophet PBUH was basically reminding him that 'these are the people that murdered your father.'
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Laying Foundation for Future Conquests
Usama left on the very last day of Safar.
However, when his army was 1 or 2 days outside Madinah, a messenger came running, saying, "Wait! The Prophet PBUH has fallen ill! So just wait until he is feeling better!" (The Prophet PBUH did not send the messenger. The people became concerned, so *they* sent a messenger to Usama.) At this, Usama camped outside of Madinah for a few days; and eventually, he came back to Madinah and visited the Prophet PBUH on the day of his death (discussed below). So after the Prophet's PBUH death, the Muslims had to decide what to do with the army of Usama. And eventually, this force became the very first Muslim army to win against the Roman Empire, and it paved the way for the conquest of [Greater] Syria, and especially Palestine.
We are jumping the gun here, but the symbolism is obvious — what was the symbolism of telling the sahaba to go to al-Sham and yet the Prophet PBUH himself dies before they actually go? (And there is no doubt every Muslim should believe that Allah SWT chose the Prophet PBUH to pass away right after this decision — everything is qadr.) The symbolism/profundity is very clear: Our Prophet PBUH is not wanting to stop the spread of Islam at the borders of Arabia. Islam is not just an Arabian phenomenon, it is a global phenomenon — so he PBUH wanted the sahaba to go forth, and he especially wanted them to go to the holiest of holies after Makkah and Madinah, and that is Jerusalem. This is why the first conquest in the reign of Abu Bakr RA began to take place against the Roman Empire — and as we know, the Muslims conquered Jerusalem on the first day of Umar's khilafa. The point is, this expedition of Usama opened up the way for all future conquests — the Prophet PBUH was laying the foundation for the conquests of the Sassanid Empire, North Africa, Egypt, Algeria, all the way to Morocco and Spain. He was telling the sahaba to go forth and spread Islam far and wide.
We are jumping the gun here, but the symbolism is obvious — what was the symbolism of telling the sahaba to go to al-Sham and yet the Prophet PBUH himself dies before they actually go? (And there is no doubt every Muslim should believe that Allah SWT chose the Prophet PBUH to pass away right after this decision — everything is qadr.) The symbolism/profundity is very clear: Our Prophet PBUH is not wanting to stop the spread of Islam at the borders of Arabia. Islam is not just an Arabian phenomenon, it is a global phenomenon — so he PBUH wanted the sahaba to go forth, and he especially wanted them to go to the holiest of holies after Makkah and Madinah, and that is Jerusalem. This is why the first conquest in the reign of Abu Bakr RA began to take place against the Roman Empire — and as we know, the Muslims conquered Jerusalem on the first day of Umar's khilafa. The point is, this expedition of Usama opened up the way for all future conquests — the Prophet PBUH was laying the foundation for the conquests of the Sassanid Empire, North Africa, Egypt, Algeria, all the way to Morocco and Spain. He was telling the sahaba to go forth and spread Islam far and wide.
But it was halted for the time being; the Prophet PBUH fell sick.
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Signs in the Quran and Sunnah That Foretold the Death of the Prophet PBUH
Before discussing the final illness of the Prophet PBUH, it’s important to recognize that both the Quran and sunnah contained multiple signs indicating that the Prophet's PBUH death was approaching. In hindsight, these signs are clear to us — we can easily point to ayat or ahadith where the Prophet PBUH alluded to his passing. Yet, when these revelations first occurred, they didn't register with the sahaba at the time. Why? Because it's human nature to avoid thinking about death, especially that of our loved ones. The stronger our love, the harder it is to imagine them passing away. So, how could anyone have contemplated the idea of the Prophet PBUH leaving them?
When we read the ayat and ahadith, we might think it's so obvious — but some of these ayat, when Abu Bakr recited them on the day of the Prophet's PBUH passing, in one version, it's said Umar RA asked him, "Are these verses from the Quran?" and in another version, he said, "It was as if I had never heard these verses before"—meaning he never understood these verses in the context of the Prophet's PBUH death. What are some of these verses?
Surah al-Zumar (سورة الزمر), verse 30:
إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُم مَّيِّتُونَ
"You are going to die, and they as well will die" [Quran, 39:30].— It's singular; directed to the Prophet PBUH himself.
Surah Ali-Imran, verse 144:
— So Allah is preparing the people for the death of the Prophet PBUH. This verse was revealed in the Battle of Uhud when many thought he PBUH had actually died. (And that's why Allah says, "Or is killed" — because the rumor at the Battle of Uhud was that he had been killed [see episode 49].)
Surah al-Anbiya (سورة الأنبياء), verse 34:
— This again is as explicit as possible: If anybody were to have been given eternal life, who would it be? The Prophet PBUH. So Allah is saying to the Prophet PBUH that even he will die; so if he is going to die, do the people think they will live forever?
Therefore, clearly, the Quran is giving these indications. Not only the Quran, but even the hadith of the Prophet PBUH. In Ramadan of the 10th year of the Hijrah —two months before he PBUH left for Hajj— the first perhaps premonition began. What was that? Jibril AS would come to the Prophet PBUH every Ramadan and recite the Quran to him once, but this year, Jibril came and recited it twice (without telling him the reason or giving anything away). So the premonition came to the Prophet PBUH that something is different. (And this, by the way, also shows us that Allah did not tell the Prophet PBUH explicitly that he was going to die at this stage, so he PBUH himself did not know for sure — but there was premonition and intuition. Allah is indirectly suggesting.)
Yet another indication is Surah al-Nasr:
— This is a reference to the Conquest of Makkah, that when the big Conquest comes and the help of Allah comes and all of mankind enters Islam by the armies, what should you do? Start praising Allah and asking forgiveness, for indeed, Allah forgives. And this, of course, is indicating that the end is about to come. Once, Umar RA, in his khilafa, quizzed the sahaba, "What does this Surah mean?"—and none of them understood except Ibn Abbas who said, "This was an indication to the Prophet PBUH that the end of his time was about to come, and he should prepare to meet Allah SWT." [See also: episode 81.]
Surah Ali-Imran, verse 144:
وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ ۚ أَفَإِن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَىٰ أَعْقَابِكُمْ ۚ وَمَن يَنقَلِبْ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ فَلَن يَضُرَّ اللَّهَ شَيْئًا ۗ وَسَيَجْزِي اللَّهُ الشَّاكِرِينَ
"Muhammad is no more than a Messenger; other Messengers have gone before him. If he were to die or to be killed, would you regress into disbelief? Those who do so will not harm Allah whatsoever. And Allah will reward those who are grateful" [Quran, 3:144].— So Allah is preparing the people for the death of the Prophet PBUH. This verse was revealed in the Battle of Uhud when many thought he PBUH had actually died. (And that's why Allah says, "Or is killed" — because the rumor at the Battle of Uhud was that he had been killed [see episode 49].)
Surah al-Anbiya (سورة الأنبياء), verse 34:
وَمَا جَعَلْنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ الْخُلْدَ ۖ أَفَإِن مِّتَّ فَهُمُ الْخَالِدُونَ
"And We have not granted immortality to any human before you; so if you die, will they live forever?" [Quran, 21:34].— This again is as explicit as possible: If anybody were to have been given eternal life, who would it be? The Prophet PBUH. So Allah is saying to the Prophet PBUH that even he will die; so if he is going to die, do the people think they will live forever?
Therefore, clearly, the Quran is giving these indications. Not only the Quran, but even the hadith of the Prophet PBUH. In Ramadan of the 10th year of the Hijrah —two months before he PBUH left for Hajj— the first perhaps premonition began. What was that? Jibril AS would come to the Prophet PBUH every Ramadan and recite the Quran to him once, but this year, Jibril came and recited it twice (without telling him the reason or giving anything away). So the premonition came to the Prophet PBUH that something is different. (And this, by the way, also shows us that Allah did not tell the Prophet PBUH explicitly that he was going to die at this stage, so he PBUH himself did not know for sure — but there was premonition and intuition. Allah is indirectly suggesting.)
Yet another indication is Surah al-Nasr:
إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ
110:1. When Allah's [ultimate] help comes and the victory [over Makkah is achieved],
وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًا
110:2. and you [O Prophet] see the people embracing Allah's Way in crowds,
فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا
110:3. then glorify the praises of your Lord and seek His forgiveness, for certainly, He is ever Accepting of Repentance.— This is a reference to the Conquest of Makkah, that when the big Conquest comes and the help of Allah comes and all of mankind enters Islam by the armies, what should you do? Start praising Allah and asking forgiveness, for indeed, Allah forgives. And this, of course, is indicating that the end is about to come. Once, Umar RA, in his khilafa, quizzed the sahaba, "What does this Surah mean?"—and none of them understood except Ibn Abbas who said, "This was an indication to the Prophet PBUH that the end of his time was about to come, and he should prepare to meet Allah SWT." [See also: episode 81.]
Also, the Prophet PBUH himself hinted this to some of his beloved sahaba: Of them is the famous hadith of Mu'adh ibn Jabal. The Prophet PBUH loved Mu'adh with a very strong love. And Mu'adh was of the most noble of the sahaba. When Mu'adh left for Yemen to be the governor, the Prophet PBUH privately walked with him alone to the south of Madinah (and he PBUH actually walked while Mu'adh was on the donkey — Mu'adh insisted, but the Prophet PBUH said, "No, I want to walk with you like this"—that was his love for Mu'adh). And he PBUH told him, "Wallahi, I love you, O Mu'adh. O Mu'adh, perhaps you shall not see me after this; and perhaps when you come back to Madinah, you will find my Masjid and my qabr (قبر - grave)." So he is telling Mu'adh, "You might not see me again." And of course, at this, Mu'adh began to cry. [See also: episode 96.]
Of the signs he PBUH is giving to the people is of course the entire Hajjat al-Wada' (Farewell Hajj). Why is it called this? Because he PBUH was saying goodbye to the people [see episode 100]. And he also told the people, "It is very likely that I will not see you after this year. So follow everything from me right now because I don't know if you will be able to follow from me next year." So he is telling them that this might be it. But of course, he PBUH was not 100% sure.
And sometime at the end of the month of Safar in the 11th year right before he fell sick, he visited the site of Uhud and made a special du'a for the people who had passed away in Uhud. And he said, "Wait for me at the Hawd (حوض). I will be the one there before you come." So he is telling the martyrs that, "I will meet you," which means he is about to go to the Next world. (Side note: Of course, foremost amongst the martyrs of Uhud was his uncle Hamzah RA, and we know the love he had for him.)
It is narrated that perhaps on the last day of Safar if not the first day of Rabi' al-Awwal, he PBUH woke up in the middle of the night and knocked on the door of his mawla, Abu Muwayhiba the Freed Slave of the Prophet PBUH (ابو مويهبة مولى النبي). When Abu Muwayhiba came out, the Prophet PBUH said, "Jibril has commanded me to go to Baqi'." So they went to Baqi' al-Gharqad the graveyard of Madinah in the middle of the night. (It's noteworthy that this was at the very end of his life and was the last time he visited Baqi'.) And he made a beautiful du'a for the people of Baqi', and on the way back, he said to Abu Muwayhiba, "Do you know that Allah has given me the choice of the keys to this world and everlasting life, then Jannah, OR to meet Allah right now and be in Jannah?" (Subhan'Allah. Both end in Jannah but there is one difference: The Prophet PBUH can live in this world till the end of days and then be in Jannah, or he can leave right now and be with Allah in Jannah.) Abu Muwayhiba said, "May my mother and father be given as a ransom for you, ya Rasulullah; choose this whole world for all of eternity, and then get Jannah!" But our Prophet PBUH said, "No, I have already chosen." So it is very clear. (But again, one needs to realize that although he PBUH is saying these ahadith, the sahaba are not thinking that this is going to happen right now. They are just thinking it's sometime in the future. This reality is still not registering with them. And that's why to the very end, the sahaba did not actually think he would pass away [discussed below]. Because they simply could not imagine life without the Prophet PBUH.) (Side note: This also shows us that our Prophet PBUH would regularly go to the graveyards and make du'a for the dead. And this is of the wisdoms of going to the graveyard: Why did Jibril tell him to go to Baqi'? One of the reasons why we should all go to the graveyard is so that we are reminded of our own mortality and death. Even our Prophet Muhammad PBUH went to the graveyard before his own death to remind himself of his own death.) And it was Aisha's RA night that night, so the Prophet PBUH then returned to her house.
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The Final Sickness of the Prophet PBUH
The next day, it was the day of Maymuna RA, so the Prophet PBUH then went to her house —and it was the 1st or 2nd of Rabi' al-Awwal— and it was in her house the fever began. The first few days, he attempted to still be fair and equitable to his wives, and so he went from house to house. Until finally, when he became very weak, he asked permission from his wives to not go to each house and just rest in the house of Aisha. And obviously, all of the wives agreed. (Even though technically, our shariah says he did not have to ask permission —he has a level above any other men in this regard— but still, to be fair to the very end, he asked their permission.) And of course, this was to be his final days PBUH.
(Note: The incidents narrated about the last 10-11 days of the Prophet's PBUH sickness are many, and they are mentioned in the books of hadith and seerah. But as is typical, we have one problem, and that is chronologically piecing them together. There are various interpretations, but to be honest, it is insignificant which event happened on what day. In the end, these events happened, and that is what's important.)
So, as we said, on one of these days, the Prophet PBUH simply started staying in the house of Aisha and did not go to any other house. And as the fever increased, Aisha RA began to regularly recite ruqya (رقية) and blow on him Surah al-Falaq and al-Nas, and recite the du'as that he PBUH himself had taught her. And she would also have a bucket next to him and sometimes pour water on him. This was one of the techniques they would use to lower the temperature. (It's noteworthy that we are talking about a time when there was no medicine for curing the fever. For us, we take these painkillers and paracetamols for granted; but do realize these paracetamols are modern. Before even this century, there was nothing to diminish the pain and symptoms of a fever. And it was so painful that people would die from the sheer pain of it. There was no painkiller during the time of the Prophet PBUH, so people just had to bear it. In one hadith, our Prophet PBUH said, "Fever is one of the Punishments of Jahannam in this world.")
So, as we said, on one of these days, the Prophet PBUH simply started staying in the house of Aisha and did not go to any other house. And as the fever increased, Aisha RA began to regularly recite ruqya (رقية) and blow on him Surah al-Falaq and al-Nas, and recite the du'as that he PBUH himself had taught her. And she would also have a bucket next to him and sometimes pour water on him. This was one of the techniques they would use to lower the temperature. (It's noteworthy that we are talking about a time when there was no medicine for curing the fever. For us, we take these painkillers and paracetamols for granted; but do realize these paracetamols are modern. Before even this century, there was nothing to diminish the pain and symptoms of a fever. And it was so painful that people would die from the sheer pain of it. There was no painkiller during the time of the Prophet PBUH, so people just had to bear it. In one hadith, our Prophet PBUH said, "Fever is one of the Punishments of Jahannam in this world.")
The Prophet PBUH was in the house of Aisha for at least one week; and at one point in this time, Aisha herself had a severe headache. So she entered into the bed of the Prophet PBUH —and she was holding her head— and said, "Oh, my head! Oh, my head!" The Prophet PBUH, no matter how much pain he was feeling, he wanted to still joke with/tease her — so he smiled and said, "No, O Aisha. Rather, [how much pain is] MY head [in]," i.e., "My pain is much worse." And then he joked, "O Aisha, what do you lose if you were to die now? I'm still alive — I will be the one to wash your body, put you in the grave, and pray over you. What better thing could you hope for?"—in this state of pain, he was easing the tension (and also gently reminding her of death to make her prepare mentally for his own death PBUH). But of course, Aisha RA didn't understand this, so immediately, her jealousy kicked in: "I am sure you would like that to happen, ya Rasulullah, because then you would be free to go to your other wives"—she teased him back. Subhan'Allah, even to the very end, they were laughing and joking with one another.
Around the 5th day of his sickness —so he has six/seven days left to live— he commanded the sahaba to bring buckets of water out from a particular well known for its cool water — he asked for a well that was known to contain cool and beautiful water. And they poured this water on him over his head, and he wrapped a turban tight around his head. Why would he do that? To minimize the pain — because his head was throbbing.
And by this stage, because everyone had seen his state, the people of Madinah were getting increasingly worried. Already he had been sick for 3-4 days — they had seen this — he was coming for the salah as of yet, but these salahs were shorter, and he was not spending time with them, and he was going back to his house quickly — the Prophet PBUH had never been sick for his whole life in this manner — he had never had a fever that caused him to not pray the way he used to pray or to not be with the sahaba. So the news spread across the city, and people began to camp inside the Masjid — Umar, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, and the sahaba who didn't have houses nearby, they began to camp inside the Masjid just because of concern for the Prophet PBUH. (As for Abu Bakr & Ali, as we know, they had houses next to the Masjid.) And therefore, by this time, the Masjid was jam-packed — people were sitting there waiting for any news from the Prophet PBUH.
After wrapping the turban, the Prophet PBUH was carried between two men —Abbas RA and Ali RA— to the Masjid. (Why them? Because they were without a doubt the internal Ahl al-Bayt. There is no denying this. Abbas is his uncle and Ali is his son-in-law and cousin — so, of course, they are going to do khidma [خدمة - service] to the very day that he passes away. So they both carry him.) And he PBUH sat on the minbar, and he gave the people some advice:
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Advice (Possibly Friday Sermon) of the Prophet PBUH
Various books of hadith record various phrases and lines the Prophet PBUH said on the minbar. Of them:
1. "May Allah's curse be upon the Jews and Christians because they took the graves of their prophets as masjids (i.e., places of worship)"—and he PBUH forbade the sahaba from doing so.
— Of course, the sahaba didn't understand the connection yet, but the Prophet PBUH was already thinking, "What will happen to my grave? I don't want it to become a place of worship where people come to prostrate to and worship," so he was telling them, "Allah's curse is on those who take their prophets' graves as masjids."
2. "If there is anybody who has any right that I have not fulfilled, or any debt that I have not paid, come now and ask me before the Day of Judgment." And in one version (Sahih Bukhari), he said, "If I have hit anybody unjustly in my whole life, then here is my back; come and hit me now before the Day of Judgment."
— And he kept on asking until, some versions say, some people began to ask for some very trivial things: One of them said, "O Messenger of Allah, you owe me three dinars." So the Prophet PBUH said, "And when is that, and how is that?" The person said, "Ya Rasulullah, I would not have said so, but you are insisting so many times that I felt if I didn't say something, I would be guilty. — One day, there was a beggar passing, and you said, 'Who will give him money on my behalf?' and I gave him, but you didn't pay me back. Wallahi, if you did not keep on asking and asking, I would not have mentioned this." So the Prophet PBUH ordered, "Give him his three dinars." So some trivial things such as this happened, but otherwise, nothing of major significance.
3. "There is a servant from amongst the servants of Allah, Allah has asked him to choose between this world and his Lord, and he has chosen his Lord."
— This is the same thing he PBUH told his mawla Abu Muwayhiba — but here, he is speaking generically. And because he is speaking in the third person ("a servant from the servants of Allah"), the sahaba, instead of being sad, they were impressed that, "Wow! Allah has asked somebody for a choice, and he has chosen Allah? What a lucky man!" And only one person in the audience began to sob loudly, and that was Abu Bakr al-Siddiq RA — because Abu Bakr understood that this "servant from the servants of Allah" was nobody other than the Prophet PBUH. And people did not understand why Abu Bakr was crying. The Prophet PBUH looked at him and said, "Do not cry, O Abu Bakr, for you are the one I trust the most in my companionship and in my family. And were I able to take a khalil (خليل - close friend) in this world, my khalil would have been Abu Bakr. But I cannot take a khalil, because Allah has chosen me to be His khalil. But, O Abu Bakr, between us is the brotherhood of Islam." (Side note: As we know, Allah SWT has taken two khalils: Prophet Ibrahim AS and Prophet Muhammad PBUH.)
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"Except for the Door of Abu Bakr"
Then the Prophet PBUH made an announcement, "Let all of the doors of the Masjid that go in from the private houses be closed." (Note: Back then, houses weren't separate — where one wall/door finished, another house was right behind it. So every one of the sahaba who had built their house next to the Masjid, they would have their own personal doors inside the Masjid. And it was halal up until that point in time for those who lived next to the Masjid to just walk in through that personal door. [And of course, our Prophet PBUH also had his personal door from the house of Aisha.] But from this point on, the Prophet PBUH made a decree that, "Let all of these doors be shut.") And the Prophet PBUH made one exception, "Except for the door of Abu Bakr." This was an honor that the Prophet PBUH gave Abu Bakr. (Side note: This door of Abu Bakr led to his temporary abode, not to his main abode. His main abode was located about a 30-minute walk from the Masjid, in a place called Awali[1].)
This exception clearly has a symbolism that Abu Bakr al-Siddiq RA has been chosen and preferred above all of the other sahaba.
So all of the doors, except for Abu Bakr's, were closed — and this probably took place on a Wednesday.
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Transfer of Salah From the Prophet PBUH to Abu Bakr RA
The next event is the transfer of the salah from the Prophet PBUH to Abu Bakr RA. When did this happen? According to the majority opinion, it happened on a Thursday night; but in Sh. YQ's opinion, it happened on Friday night. We choose to follow the minority opinion for one simple reason: On Friday afternoon, what happens? The Friday khutbah. And if anybody other than the Prophet PBUH had given the khutbah, in Sh. YQ's opinion, this would have been remarked on and reported. But the fact that no one mentioned anything of this nature indicates that the Prophet PBUH most likely gave the khutbah that day. (And perhaps the very advice mentioned —as discussed above— was the Friday khutbah.) But Allah knows best.
In any case, we will follow the Friday theory. — And so the Prophet PBUH led Salat al-Maghrib on a Friday, and this was to be the final salah jahriyyah (صلاة جهرية - loud prayer) that he led in the Masjid publicly. And he recited, as we know from the hadith of Sahih Bukhari, Surah al-Mursalat (سورة المرسلات). So the last surah that the Prophet PBUH recited publicly was Surat al-Mursalat. After Maghrib Salah, he came back and lay down on his bed. And when Isha came, Bilal came and told him, "Ya Rasulullah, it's time for Isha." (The Prophet's PBUH door was right next to the Masjid, so this was Bilal's custom and habit, that before he gave the iqama, he would go and say, "Ya Rasulullah, it's time for the iqama.") So the Prophet PBUH stood up to lead them in salah. But he fainted on his bed and lost consciousness. When he became conscious, he ordered water to be poured on him, and he stood up again. But he lost consciousness again, and this was longer than the first time. Then he became conscious again, and asked, "Have the people prayed yet?" They said, "No, we are waiting for you, ya Rasulullah." So he tried once again to stand up. But once again, his knees simply couldn't take the pressure and he fell down. And according to one report, he attempted seven times to get up and lead the sahaba in Salat al-Isha. (So wallahi, brothers and sisters, it is shameful and pathetic for any one of us to read these stories and not be motivated to pray on time.)
When the Prophet PBUH realized that he could not lead the people in salah —and Aisha was around him— he said to her, "Go command Abu Bakr. He will lead them in salah." This was the first explicit indication that the person who must take over after the Prophet PBUH was Abu Bakr. Realize that for 10 years in Madinah, nobody had led the salah in Masjid al-Nabawi while the Prophet PBUH was in Madinah, except the Prophet PBUH himself. This was a complete given. (Side note: It once happened that the Prophet PBUH was outside —he wasn't in the vicinity of the Masjid— so Abu Bakr began to lead the people in salah. But the Prophet PBUH returned in the middle of the salah, and Abu Bakr noticed this, so they swapped places. But in this instance, the Prophet PBUH did not appoint him to lead — the sahaba feared the Prophet PBUH might not be back in time and that was why they appointed Abu Bakr RA to lead. Otherwise, never in the 10 years of Madinah had someone else led the salah in the Prophet's Mosque while the Prophet PBUH was in the vicinity.) So this command to Abu Bakr was a clear indication that, 'When I'm not here, when I am gone, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq will be the one to take charge.'
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Aisha RA Did Not Want Her Father to Lead
Aisha RA is of course the daughter of Abu Bakr RA — and the Prophet PBUH told her to command her father to lead the people in salah. But she did not want her father to lead, so she gave an excuse, which was not a lie, but it wasn't the real excuse: She said, "Ya Rasulullah, my father has a soft heart — when he stands in salah, he begins to sob as he reads the Quran, and people won't like it. Why don't we find someone else?" But the Prophet PBUH said to her again, "Go command Abu Bakr to lead the people in salah."
As it happened, Abu Bakr was not in the vicinity at that time — so Aisha could stall for a while: She brought Hafsa RA in and said to her, "Why don't you convince him (the Prophet PBUH)?"—she wanted Hafsa to get her father (Umar RA) in, and did not want her own father (Abu Bakr RA) to lead. Why? For multiple reasons:
1. She did not want anybody to think that Abu Bakr was taking advantage of the situation to push himself forward.
2. She was scared that if the Prophet PBUH were to pass away, people might associate Abu Bakr's leading of salah with the Prophet's PBUH death.
So she did not want Abu Bakr to lead, and said to Hafsa, "Why don't you try as well?" So Hafsa tried. And on his sickbed, with his high fever, the Prophet PBUH realized what his wives were conspiring to do — they were trying to bring Abu Bakr out of this and bring another man in. So he said, "Go and find Abu Bakr, for Allah will not allow anyone other than Abu Bakr. All of you are acting like the women around Yusuf." Meaning what? The women in the story of Yusuf AS conspired to do a plot, and they thought no one realized their plot. Similarly Aisha and Hafsa here; they are conspiring to do something and think nobody knows it. But the Prophet PBUH knew, so he compared them to the women in the story of Yusuf AS.
And according to one report, when Abu Bakr was not found immediately, Umar RA started leading the salah. But when our Prophet PBUH heard Umar's voice, he said, "Go and find Abu Bakr, for Allah and His Messenger will not allow anybody other than Abu Bakr." When the Prophet PBUH was insistent and adamant, they then found Abu Bakr, and he was the one who led the prayer up until the end:
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Abu Bakr's Leading of Salah
When the Prophet PBUH heard Umar's voice, he said, "Go and find Abu Bakr, for Allah and His Messenger will not allow anybody other than Abu Bakr"—and this was really the most public announcement that indicated the Prophet PBUH wanted Abu Bakr to become his khalifa (خليفة - successor) — and this is the fundamental difference between us Sunni and non-Sunni groups. We are getting a little bit of theology here, but from our perspective, the Prophet PBUH did not want to explicitly say, "The person in charge after me is Abu Bakr." Why not? Because he did not want to establish the custom or routine of kings and politicians naming their successors. If he had done it, it would have become wajib for future leaders to do so. So he didn't want to do that. He wanted to leave it open to multiple ways, which is exactly what happened: Abu Bakr was chosen in one manner, Umar was chosen in another manner, Uthman was chosen in a third manner, Ali was chosen in a fourth manner — and all of these manners are permissible. If our Prophet PBUH had chosen Abu Bakr, what would he have done? He would have narrowed down the methods of choosing the successor to only one method. And he didn't want to do that. So what was the alternative? To indicate as much as possible without actually being that explicit; and that is what he did. He didn't want to say, "The person after me is...," but still, he gave every other indication possible.
Recall this is taking place on a Friday. And perhaps on a Saturday (or some have said Sunday before he passed away), he PBUH managed to regain a little bit of strength, so he went outside while Salat al-Zuhr was taking place. And this was the final time the Prophet PBUH prayed in the jama'ah with the sahaba. It is said that the sahaba had already started praying Zuhr, and the Prophet PBUH walked out while they were in salah, so there was a commotion in the audience, that everyone was making way for the Prophet PBUH to come, and Abu Bakr heard the commotion, and he automatically understood that there was only one reason there could be this commotion, so he looked to his left and saw the Prophet PBUH coming on the shoulders of Abbas and Ali, so he stepped back to let the Prophet PBUH lead. But the Prophet PBUH motioned to him, "Stay where you are." However, Abu Bakr, out of respect for the Prophet PBUH, disobeyed this command and insisted that the Prophet PBUH sit down in the place of the imam (it's a unique situation where you disobey someone to show him respect). So the Prophet PBUH led Zuhr seated down, and Abu Bakr was standing next to him.
Now, this is very symbolic.
Who was the real imam? The Prophet PBUH. But who were the people seeing? Abu Bakr. So from their eyes, Abu Bakr was the imam — and so they followed Abu Bakr, who was in actuality following the Prophet PBUH. And for us Sunnis, this is the most profound symbolism — that by following the leadership of Abu Bakr, you are following the methodologies of the Prophet PBUH. And this for us is the clearest indication that the Prophet PBUH was saying to the sahaba, "Abu Bakr is going to be the one you will take as a leader after me."
Who was the real imam? The Prophet PBUH. But who were the people seeing? Abu Bakr. So from their eyes, Abu Bakr was the imam — and so they followed Abu Bakr, who was in actuality following the Prophet PBUH. And for us Sunnis, this is the most profound symbolism — that by following the leadership of Abu Bakr, you are following the methodologies of the Prophet PBUH. And this for us is the clearest indication that the Prophet PBUH was saying to the sahaba, "Abu Bakr is going to be the one you will take as a leader after me."
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The Last Public Lecture of the Prophet PBUH
After Salat al-Zuhr, the Prophet PBUH was lifted onto the minbar, and this was to be the last lecture he gave in public. (And as we said, some scholars say this happened on Saturday, others say Sunday. So this all happened a day or two days before the Prophet PBUH passed away.) Of the things he said:
1. He praised the Ansar and said to the Muslims, "I command you to take care of the Ansar, for they have been my best advisors, and they have fulfilled the duties that were due upon them."
— This is very profound. When you are commanding somebody to take care of the Ansar, you are saying that the Ansar will have somebody that will look after them, which implies that the Ansar will not be the ones to take care of the ummah — that will be somebody else's job. The Prophet PBUH said this in a subtle way. And he PBUH also praised the Ansar for having fulfilled their promise to protect him PBUH[2] — that they have done their job — and this too implies that the next job of leading the ummah is not due upon them; they have already perfected their job.
1. He praised the Ansar and said to the Muslims, "I command you to take care of the Ansar, for they have been my best advisors, and they have fulfilled the duties that were due upon them."
— This is very profound. When you are commanding somebody to take care of the Ansar, you are saying that the Ansar will have somebody that will look after them, which implies that the Ansar will not be the ones to take care of the ummah — that will be somebody else's job. The Prophet PBUH said this in a subtle way. And he PBUH also praised the Ansar for having fulfilled their promise to protect him PBUH[2] — that they have done their job — and this too implies that the next job of leading the ummah is not due upon them; they have already perfected their job.
2. He commanded the people to purify the Arabian Peninsula from all types of paganism — to rid all pagans out from Jazirat al-Arab (جزيرة العربية - Arabian Peninsula).
— This was of the final fiqhi commands he gave. There should be no idolatry in the land of Arabia — it is a special land for us, and so we do not allow idols to be worshiped or publicly displayed. This is from our fiqh. That is why to this day, especially in the Hejaz, in Makkah and Madinah, you cannot even enter, as we know, unless you are a Muslim.
3. He also said, "Treat delegations that will come to you with the same hospitality that I have shown to the other delegations."
— That is, "Make sure you treat the future converts the same way I have treated them"—the Prophet PBUH was saying all of this to prepare the sahaba for when he died, even as they were hoping that he PBUH would get better.
4. Of the last things he said —narrated by a number of sahaba— was, "You should have good thoughts of Allah when you are about to die."
— This is a hadith by the Prophet PBUH, that none of us should die until we have good thoughts about Allah SWT. This is one of the last things he PBUH said.
5. The very last phrase he said in the khutbah was, "Al-salah, al-salah. And fear Allah with regards to the weak and the oppressed of society."
— He was sitting on his minbar, and the very last thing he told the sahaba in his very last public khutbah was to guard and protect the salah. The last piece of advice he gave them before he went into his house never to walk out again was (i) of the salah, and (ii) to fear Allah with regards to the weak and the oppressed, for on the Day of Judgment, those who have been wronged will have the chance to seek justice, and those who have wronged them will face retribution and accountability.
Most likely, this took place on Saturday Zuhr — and this was the final salah he prayed in public with the sahaba.
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Material Possessions of the Prophet PBUH
The next morning on Sunday, the day before he passed away, he asked Aisha RA, "How much money do I have?" And so Aisha found the wallets/pouches and pulled out seven silver coins. Now, silver is extremely cheap even to this day — realistically, it's equal to around 2-3 dollars. The Prophet PBUH only had seven silver coins, so it was around 20 or so dollars. This was the entire possession he PBUH had on the last day of his life. And he held these seven dirhams in his hand —and he was putting them in one hand and the other— and said, "What will I say to Allah if I meet Him with these coins?" And he gave it back in Aisha's hands and said, "Go give it to the poor now," and he fell unconscious again. When he woke up, he said to Aisha, "Have you given it to the poor?" But it was not on her priority list — taking care of the Prophet PBUH came first; so she just said, "I will do it [later]." And again, he fainted, and again, he woke up saying, "Have you given it to the poor?" And he continued to ask throughout Sunday until Aisha realized that the Prophet PBUH would not be content until she gave the coins away. Thus, she got rid of everything in the house of money.
Therefore, we can say quite literally that our Prophet PBUH passed away without owning a single penny. Aisha herself says, "When the Prophet PBUH died, there was nothing in his house of gold and silver. The only thing left was some morsels of barley (wheat) in a small cup. And I continued using from this cup for a long period of time until it occurred to me that it was never finishing, so I measured it one day, and within a short time, it finished [i.e., it was like a mini-miracle from Allah SWT]." Aisha also narrated, "When the Prophet PBUH passed away, the only possession he owned was his mule. And he also had an armor which happened to be with a Jew of Madinah who had lent him 30 sa' (صاع - basically 65 kg or so)[3] of barley (wheat), and it was being used as collateral by that Jew. And he also had a land he had given to the poor." That was all the possessions of the Prophet PBUH. In fact, the night that the Prophet PBUH passed away, Aisha RA ran out of oil for her lamp, and there was nothing in her house to use for oil, so she had to borrow a little bit of oil from their Ansari neighbor lady. Quite literally, the house had nothing of value in it.
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The Last Time the Sahaba Saw the Face of the Prophet PBUH
On the next day —Monday, the 12th of Rabbi al-Awwal— at Fajr time, the Prophet PBUH was too weak to lead the Muslims in salah. He remained on the bed of Aisha while Abu Bakr RA led the Muslims in salah. As our Prophet PBUH lay in bed, he asked to be sat up. And sitting up with support, he lifted the curtain that separated his house from the Masjid. The sahaba had not seen him for two days; so when they saw his face, they became so happy that, as Anas ibn Malik said, "We were about to break our salah in happiness." And a commotion began in the Masjid. Abu Bakr was obviously in the front, and he assumed the Prophet PBUH was coming, so he stepped back and turned/looked to his left, but he saw the Prophet PBUH was inside his house and was not coming — he was too weak to come. The Prophet PBUH just motioned to Abu Bakr, "Stay where you are."
Anas says, "The last time we saw the face of the Prophet PBUH was when he had lifted the curtain." This was the Fajr of Monday, the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal in the 11th year of the Hijrah. The Prophet PBUH lifted the curtain and saw his ummah praying the salah, and his face was beaming with joy — and that smile was the last memory that the sahaba had of our Prophet PBUH. And indeed, what a fitting end — because, again, the issue of salah came. Our Prophet PBUH became happy — why was he happy? Because he saw his ummah praying Fajr in the Masjid, all lined up in rows, all of them praying to Allah SWT — a sight that filled him PBUH with contentment.
(So wallahi, again, how can we listen to these incidents and ahadith and not be moved to pray? How can we possibly give up our salah when we know the emphasis that our Prophet PBUH placed on it?)
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Conversation With Fatima RA
In the early morning, the fever of the Prophet PBUH increased, and he began to go in and out of consciousness again and again. Fatima RA his daughter came to visit him. And we know the special bond the Prophet PBUH had with her. The amount of love and respect he had for her is narrated in the books of hadith; e.g., the Prophet PBUH would always stand up to greet her, kiss her on the forehead, and seat her in his place whenever she came to visit. Fatima was the last of his family to be alive — every one of his family had passed away by this point in time: his father, mother, grandfather, uncle, and every one of his children had all passed away — except for Fatima. We have glossed over all of this in our series, but wallahi, imagine — Allah is testing him with the most painful of tests — how painful is it to lose one child? Yet our Prophet PBUH lost all of them, except for Fatima.
When Fatima saw her father in such pain, she began to cry, "O my father, how painful is your suffering..." The Prophet PBUH said to her, "O Fatima, your father will not suffer after today." And he called Fatima close to him and spoke to her something privately — and she began to cry. And to console her, he called her again and whispered something else in her ear — and she smiled and laughed. And it is narrated that as she got up to leave, Aisha asked her, "Tell me, what did the Prophet PBUH tell you?" But Fatima said, "No, I cannot spill the secret of the Prophet PBUH."
A few months later, when the Prophet PBUH had passed away, Aisha said to Fatima again, "Now tell me." Fatima said, "Now I can tell you: When I went to the Prophet PBUH to visit him, he whispered and told me that Jibril had come to him twice that year for Ramadan, even though for other years, he would only come once — and he PBUH said, 'There is no other explanation except that my time has come.' So I began to cry. And he then whispered to me, 'You shall be the first of my family to meet me, and you shall be the leader of the women of Jannah,' so I smiled out of joy."
And indeed, this prophecy came true, as Fatima RA became the first to pass away from his PBUH family after him just 6 months later.
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The Pangs of Death
The fever and pain of the Prophet PBUH increased, and they had put a jar of water next to him, and he would put his hand into the bucket and wipe his forehead. It is said the fever was so hot that al-Abbas and others said, "How is the Prophet PBUH bearing this pain?" And one of the sahaba remarked, "The fever of the Prophet PBUH is like the fever of 10 of us."
During this time, as the Prophet PBUH was wiping the sweat and putting water on his forehead, he said continuously, "Verily, death has its pangs." (Note: Even our Prophet PBUH felt the pangs of death — do you think me and you will not feel those pangs?) And he kept on saying, "There is no God but Allah. Verily, death has its pangs." And he made du'a, "O Allah, help me to overcome the pangs of death." So these were of the last phrases — he was saying the kalimah and asking Allah to ease his transition from this life to the Next.
And eventually, the pain became so severe that he could not even speak anymore.
This is now Monday morning — his fever was so hot and his pain so severe he was going in and out of consciousness.
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Usama ibn Zayd Came Back to Visit the Prophet PBUH
It was at this point in time Usama ibn Zayd came back in. Of course, he didn't want to disobey the command of the Prophet PBUH (to go to al-Sham), but the situation was so bad that he actually came back to Madinah to visit the Prophet PBUH — and he was of the very last people to visit him PBUH.
The Prophet PBUH was so weak that he could not say anything. All he could do was point weakly up and then to Usama, point weakly up again, and then to Usama again — meaning the Prophet PBUH was saying, "Allah has blessed you," or, "Allah will bless you," or, "I am making du'a for you." In other words, he still wanted Usama to go to al-Sham.
(Note: And as we know, this would come back to the first decision of Abu Bakr RA later on as a khalifa when he said, "How can I tell [the army of] Usama to come back when the Prophet PBUH told him to go!")
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Doing Miswak
The fever of the Prophet PBUH became even more difficult. And Aisha did not know what to do, so she sat cross-legged, picked the Prophet PBUH up from his pillow, and she put him on her own shoulder/bosom. — This is what you do with those whom you love. When we have a loved one who is sick, what do we do? We cradle them; we hold them. That physical touch calms both us and the person down.
Aisha was holding onto the Prophet PBUH not knowing what to do, and this was when her younger brother Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr came in to visit. And Abd al-Rahman had a miswak (مسواك) that he was using to brush his teeth with. The Prophet PBUH weakly looked at the miswak, so Aisha asked, "Do you want the miswak?" And our Prophet PBUH motioned, "Yes," so she got it from Abd al-Rahman, turned it around, bit the other side to loosen it, and she handed it to the Prophet PBUH. The Prophet PBUH wanted to freshen his mouth before meeting Allah SWT. To the very end, he wanted to be on his best appearance and smell. So Aisha gave him the miswak. And she later narrated, "The Prophet PBUH held onto the miswak with a vigor that shocked me. And he did miswak as I have never seen before." And then she handed it back to Abd al-Rahman.
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"Allow Me to Be With al-Rafiq al-A'la": The Death of Prophet Muhammad PBUH
Slowly but surely, the fever increased, and the Prophet PBUH was going in and out of consciousness. At one point, he lifted his gaze and softly moved his lips as if he were saying something. Aisha RA, eager to hear, leaned in closely and later narrated what she heard: "I heard the Prophet PBUH say, '[I want to be] with al-nabiyyin (النَّبِيِّـۧن - the prophets), and al-siddiqin (الصِّدِّيقِين - the people of Truth), and al-shuhada (الشُّهَدَآء - the martyrs), and al-salihin (الصَّـٰلِحِين - the righteous). O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, and allow me to be with al-Rafiq al-A'la. O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, and allow me to be with al-Rafiq al-A'la. O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, and allow me to be with al-Rafiq al-A'la.'" And Aisha RA said the last thing that the Prophet PBUH said was "al-Rafiq al-A'la." That was when our Prophet PBUH left this world.
What does "al-Rafiq al-A'la (الرفيق الأعلى)" mean? Some of the scholars have said it means "the Company of the Prophets and the Highest," but there is another opinion that seems more plausible: "Al-Rafiq al-A'la" is none other than Allah AWJ Himself — so the Prophet PBUH was saying, "I want to be in the Company of al-A'la" — and "al-A'la" is one of the Names of Allah — "I want to be with You, O Allah." (Note: And of course, both interpretations overlap, because the prophets and the highest are also there with Allah SWT. So both interpretations are valid.)
Aisha RA said, "At that time, I remembered a hadith of the Prophet PBUH that he once told me, 'Never does the angel (of death) come to a prophet except that he asks the prophet, 'Can I take your soul or not?' and the prophet has to agree. And *then* his soul is taken.' So when I heard 'al-Rafiq al-A'la,' I knew that he PBUH had chosen Allah over us." And that's when it hit her that indeed, the Prophet PBUH was gone.
The Prophet PBUH passed away slightly after the Zuhr Salah on a Monday, on the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal in the 11th year of the Hijrah.
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Fatima RA, Aisha RA, Abu Bakr RA, Umar RA, and the Muslims Upon the Death of the Prophet PBUH
Fatima RA was right next door, and she came rushing in and said, "O my father, you have answered the call of your Lord. O my father, you will end up in Jannat al-Firdaws. O my father, we give the news of your death to Jibril."
Aisha RA would say, "Of the greatest blessings Allah gave me was that the Prophet PBUH died in my house, on my day, between my neck and my chest, with my saliva in his mouth (from the miswak)."
The news of the death of the Prophet PBUH then spread across the city, and the people did not know what to do. The books of seerah mention that the sahaba were in complete shock — in English, we would say they were "running around like headless chickens" — some of them sat down, others were in a daze, and others had no clue what to do. Wallahi, brothers and sisters, when we lose a loved one, we go into shock; so imagine: the sahaba are losing the one person they cannot imagine life without.
Umar RA was the seniormost person in the Masjid at that time; Abu Bakr RA wasn't there — why? When the Prophet PBUH lifted the curtain and the sahaba saw him smile, everyone thought he PBUH was feeling better, including Abu Bakr; and Abu Bakr had not gone to his own wife and children for a week — he was camping in the Masjid [or his temporary abode next to the Masjid]; so when he saw the smile of the Prophet PBUH and felt relieved, he told Aisha, "Okay, I'm going home for now." Therefore, Abu Bakr wasn't in the vicinity of the Masjid when the Prophet PBUH passed away; he was further away in his own home in Awali. And the seniormost sahabi in the Masjid was none other than Umar RA, who in that chaos, was not able to think straight out of love for the Prophet PBUH. So when the people kept talking about the 'rumor' of the death, Umar started screaming: "It's the munafiqun that are spreading these lies! Whoever says the Prophet PBUH has passed away, I shall chop his neck off! I don't want to hear anyone tell me this!"—in his emotional shock, he rejected the news. And he said, "Musa went to Allah for 40 days. This is our Prophet PBUH as well going to Allah [for a while], and he will come back." And he said, "Anyone who says otherwise has my sword to deal with!" So everyone was terrified — they didn't know what to do.
Abu Bakr RA heard the news and he rode his horse galloping as fast as possible — and he didn't even enter the Masjid, he went straight to his daughter's house to see if the news was true. (Aisha is his own daughter, so the rules of hijab don't apply between him and Aisha, and he can verify the news directly.) And there he found the body of our Prophet PBUH covered up completely. And he lifted the cover from his face PBUH and he began to cry. And he kissed him on the forehead and said, "How I would give my mother and father for you, ya Rasulullah (I wish I could give everything to get you back)." And then he said, "Allah has spoken the truth. You shall taste death but once. And this is your death, ya Rasulullah. How beautiful are you in life and in death, ya Rasulullah."
And he heard the commotion in the Masjid, so he exited Aisha's house and entered the Masjid. And there he saw the sahaba all sitting confused, and Umar RA was the one walking around almost as if he was brandishing his sword (but he didn't actually have a sword) and screaming, "Nobody should say anything!" That was when Abu Bakr said to him, "O Umar, sit down!"—the only person who had the audacity and courage to tell Umar to sit down was Abu Bakr. But even then, Umar did not sit down. He just stared at Abu Bakr, not registering. And when Umar didn't sit down, Abu Bakr rose the minbar —not to the top, but the lower level— and he praised Allah, and then said the ever-famous line which wallahi shows us his wisdom and knowledge over all of the other sahaba: He said, "Verily, whoever used to worship Muhammad PBUH, let him know that Muhammad PBUH has died. But whoever used to worship Allah SWT, know that Allah is al-Hayy (الحي - the Ever-Living) who never dies." And then he recited the verse of Surah Ali-Imran:
وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ ۚ أَفَإِن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَىٰ أَعْقَابِكُمْ
"Muhammad is just a Messenger, just like those before him. When he dies or is killed, will you go back to your old ways?" [see Quran, 3:144].(Side note: Notice when Abu Bakr climbed the minbar, he did not go to the top. Even at this moment with high emotions, he was conscious that, "I cannot stand in the Prophet's PBUH place." And from then on, nobody ever stood at the top of the minbar of the Prophet PBUH. Subhan'Allah. Look at the love and respect that this ummah has for the Prophet PBUH; it's beyond measure. From the day he PBUH passed away until the minbar finished its use, the khalifas and the imams and the khatibs, they all gave their khutbahs from the bottom step. They never had the audacity to climb to the top.)
Upon hearing verse [3:144] from the mouth of Abu Bakr, that was when Umar RA collapsed to the floor. That was when it finally hit him. This man Umar RA, the mountain, the giant whom everyone was terrified of[4], that was when it finally struck him that the Prophet PBUH was gone. And he collapsed straight to the floor. And he said, "It was as if I heard this verse for the very first time."
So the news began to spread that indeed the Prophet PBUH had passed away.
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The Ritha' of Hassan ibn Thabit RA
So many beautiful poems were written about the death of the Prophet PBUH — these poems are called ritha' (رثاء), which is a genre of poetry talking about those who have passed away and praising them. So much has been narrated by Ibn Hisham; and here, we quote a beautiful poem[5] from none other than Hassan ibn Thabit the Official Poet of the Prophet PBUH, the greatest poet of early Islam. He says:
ما بال عينك لا تنام كأنما كحلت مآقيها بكحل الأرمد جزعا على المهدي أصبح ثاويا
يا خير من وطئ الحصى لا تبعد وجهي يقيك الترب لهفي ليتني
غيبت قبلك في بقيع الغرقد بأبي وأمي من شهدت وفاته
في يوم الاثنين النبي المهتدي فظللت بعد وفاته متبلدا
متلددا يا ليتني لم أولد أأقيم بعدك بالمدينة بينهم
يا ليتني صبحت سم الأسود أو حل أمر الله فينا عاجلا
في روحة من يومنا أو من غد فتقوم ساعتنا فنلقى طيبا
محضا ضرائبه كريم المحتد يا بكر آمنة المبارك بكرها
ولدته محصنة بسعد الأسعد نورا أضاء على البرية كلها
من يهد للنور المبارك يهتدي يا رب فاجمعنا معا ونبينا
في جنة تثنى عيون الحسد في جنة الفردوس فاكتبها لنا
يا ذا الجلال وذا العلا والسودد والله أسمع ما بقيت بهالك
إلا بكيت على النبي محمد يا ويح أنصار النبي ورهطه
بعد المغيب في سواء الملحد ضاقت بالأنصار البلاد فأصبحوا
سودا وجوههم كلون الإثمد ولقد ولدناه وفينا قبره
وفضول نعمته بنا لم نجحد والله أكرمنا به وهدى به
أنصاره في كل ساعة مشهد صلى الإله ومن يحف بعرشه
والطيبون على المبارك أحمد
1. Why is it that my eyes cannot go to sleep? It is as if the rivers of crying have become permanent as dark as kuhl. This is because of my sadness at the one who has gone on, the one who was the rightly guided one.
2. O the best human being who has ever walked on the face of this earth. How I would give my own face to save yours. How I wish I was,
3. buried in Baqi' al-Gharqad before they buried you. My mother and father be given for you. Whose death did I see,
4. on that Monday, none other than the Prophet who is rightly guided. As soon as he passed away, for the rest of that time, I stayed confused,
5. and grief-stricken. Woe to me. How I wish I was never born to suffer this pain. Am I supposed to live in Madinah when you are not here?
6. O woe to me. Why didn't someone just give me poison so I don't have to live this day? Or why doesn't Allah's Command come soon,
7. come today or tomorrow, so that the Hour comes immediately? So that I can finally meet the one whose characteristic was,
4. on that Monday, none other than the Prophet who is rightly guided. As soon as he passed away, for the rest of that time, I stayed confused,
5. and grief-stricken. Woe to me. How I wish I was never born to suffer this pain. Am I supposed to live in Madinah when you are not here?
6. O woe to me. Why didn't someone just give me poison so I don't have to live this day? Or why doesn't Allah's Command come soon,
7. come today or tomorrow, so that the Hour comes immediately? So that I can finally meet the one whose characteristic was,
8. nothing other than generosity. O beautiful son of Aminah, the one you gave birth to,
9. the one who was the best of all and purest of pure, the Prophet PBUH was a light for this whole world.
9. the one who was the best of all and purest of pure, the Prophet PBUH was a light for this whole world.
10. Whoever took that light would indeed be rightly guided and blessed. O Allah, combine me with the Prophet PBUH,
11. in Jannat that are so beautiful that even the eyes of the jealous people will be averted away. Reunite me with the Prophet PBUH in Jannat al-Firdaws.
12. O Allah, the Majestic, the Mighty. I swear by Allah, as long as I live, I shall not cry for anyone who has died,
11. in Jannat that are so beautiful that even the eyes of the jealous people will be averted away. Reunite me with the Prophet PBUH in Jannat al-Firdaws.
12. O Allah, the Majestic, the Mighty. I swear by Allah, as long as I live, I shall not cry for anyone who has died,
13. except for the crying that I have done for the Prophet Muhammad. Woe to us, the Ansar of the Prophet PBUH and his Companions.
14. After he has been buried in the grave, how are we going to live? The whole land has become tight for the Ansar.
15. Their faces have become dark like the kuhl. We were the ones who gave birth to him (meaning the Prophet's PBUH great-grandmother was from Madinah), and yet we ended up having his grave.
16. And the blessings he showed us, nobody can deny. Allah blessed us with him and guided us through him,
16. And the blessings he showed us, nobody can deny. Allah blessed us with him and guided us through him,
17. at every point in time. May Allah have salat and salam upon him, and the angels around His Throne,
18. upon the Mubarak, the one who is Ahmad.
And there are many other poems as well — Abu Bakr gave poetry, and other sahaba as well gave their poems.
And there are many other poems as well — Abu Bakr gave poetry, and other sahaba as well gave their poems.
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Funeral Rites of the Prophet PBUH
We have to also quickly talk about what exactly happened with regard to the funeral rites of the Prophet PBUH.
The next day, on Tuesday, the immediate family of the Prophet PBUH gathered together, asking, "How are we going to wash the Prophet PBUH?" And these were al-Abbas, his two sons al-Fadl and Qutham, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and some say Safina the Freed Slave of the Prophet PBUH (سفينة مولى النبي) as well. So these were the people who gathered and discussed how they were going to do the ghusl of the Prophet PBUH. And the books of hadith mention that as they were wondering, all of them fell asleep and they heard a voice —but they couldn't see who it was— that said, "Wash him with his clothes on." And they awoke and all remembered the voice, so they washed the Prophet PBUH with his clothes on — because that is befitting of our Prophet PBUH.
The next day, on Tuesday, the immediate family of the Prophet PBUH gathered together, asking, "How are we going to wash the Prophet PBUH?" And these were al-Abbas, his two sons al-Fadl and Qutham, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and some say Safina the Freed Slave of the Prophet PBUH (سفينة مولى النبي) as well. So these were the people who gathered and discussed how they were going to do the ghusl of the Prophet PBUH. And the books of hadith mention that as they were wondering, all of them fell asleep and they heard a voice —but they couldn't see who it was— that said, "Wash him with his clothes on." And they awoke and all remembered the voice, so they washed the Prophet PBUH with his clothes on — because that is befitting of our Prophet PBUH.
And the Prophet PBUH was shrouded in three white garments from the land of al-Suhul (السحول), one of the cities of Yemen known for good garments. And they did not put any qamis (قميص) or any turban. Then the question came, "Where should we bury the Prophet PBUH?" Some said Baqi', others said under the minbar, others said where he PBUH used to pray in the Masjid — until finally, Abu Bakr said, "I remember hearing that he PBUH told me, 'Allah AWJ never takes the soul of a prophet except at the place where He wants him to be buried.'" So all the prophets were buried where they died. So the Prophet PBUH was buried where he died, i.e., under the place where he used to sleep — the grave was dug right there and he was buried.
But before the burial, obviously, people prayed over him. And because there was no khalifa or leader at this time, no one led the salah — the entire city of Madinah plus the surrounding tribes prayed individually. All of Tuesday and Wednesday, they kept on coming in one by one, tens of thousands of people —men, women, children— each group came and prayed individually in the room of Aisha RA. And the Prophet PBUH was then buried on the evening of Wednesday.
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Emptiness That the Sahaba Felt
When Fatima RA entered the room again and saw the grave where the bed used to be, she was overcome with grief. She saw Anas ibn Malik the volunteer servant of the Prophet PBUH — and in her distress, she said to him, "How could your souls have allowed you to throw sand upon the Prophet PBUH." Her words, though harsh, were spoken out of deep sorrow and pain.
And it was none other than Anas ibn Malik who said many years later, "The day that the Prophet PBUH entered Madinah was the brightest day of our lives; and the day that he was buried was the darkest day of our lives." In one narration reported by al-Bayhaqi in his Dala'il, Anas ibn Malik said, "After we buried the Prophet PBUH, Madinah became dark for us. It was as if we could not see each other. And if we were to extend our hand, we could not see it." (Note: This was not a physical darkness; it was a darkness of depression and complete shock.) "And by the time we finished burying him, we could not recognize our own selves (i.e., we felt so empty that we didn't know who we were)."
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No Musiba Is Bigger Than the Death of the Prophet PBUH
It is reported in Ibn Majah as sahih, narrated by Aisha RA as one of the final hadiths that the Prophet PBUH said during his final days: "O people, whoever amongst my ummah suffers a musiba (مصيبة - calamity), let him take consolation for that musiba from the musiba that befell him because of me; for there is no musiba that anyone shall experience that is greater than the musiba experienced because of me." Meaning what? It means the biggest calamity that ever afflicted the ummah was the death of the Prophet PBUH. This is the biggest disaster ever. Think about it. You have a rasul in your ranks and all of a sudden he is gone. Who will be in charge? What will you do? Who will guide the way? Who will you turn to? Who, who, who? Nobody. Thus, there is no calamity greater than the calamity of losing the Prophet PBUH. That is what the Prophet PBUH is saying: Anytime something happens in one of your lives, think about the death of the Prophet PBUH and the fact that Allah protected the ummah regardless — still the ummah went on. Take consolation in the death of the Prophet PBUH, that your calamity is nothing compared to the calamity of the ummah losing the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. No musiba compares with the musiba of losing the Prophet PBUH.
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The Brethren of the Prophet PBUH
The final hadith that we will mention as we wind down the seerah and reach the conclusion, is a hadith that is optimistic for us, but also scary — it is optimistic if we act upon it, and it is scary if we do not act upon it. It is a hadith that we should always remind ourselves of. The Prophet PBUH said, "How I wish that I could meet my ikhwan (إخوان - brethren)." So the sahaba were shocked; they said, "Ya Rasulullah, are we not your brethren?" He PBUH said, "No, you are my as'hab (أصحاب - Companions). My ikhwan will be those who come after you; and they have never seen me, yet they still believe in me without ever having seen me. And one of them would wish to give up all of his wealth and all of his family and children if he could just see me once." The Prophet PBUH is saying he wants to see *that* group of people. He was eager to meet... — can we even dare say "us"? Can we say us? Because would we really give up our wealth and family to see the Prophet PBUH? Would we really change our lifestyles for the Prophet PBUH just to see him one time? Do we really love him PBUH that much? The Prophet PBUH is saying those are his ikhwan that he wants to see.
Ya Rasulullah, we love you even though we have never seen you. Ya Rasulullah, you are our qudwa (قدوة - role model), our imam, and our savior that Allah AWJ has sent. Without you, we are nothing, ya Rasulullah. Without you we are nothing. May our mothers and fathers be given in ransom for you.
Brothers and sisters in Islam, we weren't given the honor to see the Prophet PBUH or be with him in this dunya —we weren't deserving of that honor; that was for the sahaba; Allah chose them— but there is still some hope for us. What is that hope? That hope is if we really and truly love the Prophet PBUH a genuine love, let us follow his sunnah. The Prophet PBUH might not be with us, but his sunnah is with us, his seerah is with us, and his actions are with us — so let us read and study them, and follow and embody who he was. If we truly love the Prophet PBUH, let us follow his sunnah and embody who he was. Let us demonstrate that he was indeed a Mercy to the World. And if we do so, then perhaps our Prophet PBUH will be excited to see us as well. Perhaps we will be raised to the level of his ikhwan if we truly have that desire to see him PBUH.
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Conclusion & Du'a
Here we come to the conclusion of the seerah. We have talked about nothing other than the Prophet PBUH and the blessings he had. He is the greatest human to ever walk the face of this earth — the man that Allah chose from the entire creation. And Allah blessed me and you by making us from his ummah. We thank Allah for making us from the ummah of the Prophet PBUH and ask Allah to allow us to see him on the Day of Judgment and to seek his intercession. We want to go to him physically, so O Allah, if in Your knowledge our love for Your Messenger is sincere, then allow us to be of those whom he sees and recognizes and allows to drink from his Fountain on the Day of Judgment; and make us of those whom he loves and wants to be with. O Allah, allow us to be with him physically on that Day. O Allah, allow us to be amongst those whom he feeds with his own blessed hand from the Hawd, from the Kawthar on that Day. O Allah, make us from his ummah that he makes intercession for. O Allah, grant us a genuine love for the Prophet PBUH. O Allah, we ask that any shortcomings and evil and sins that we have that they be drowned in our love for the Prophet PBUH. O Allah, because of our love for the Prophet PBUH, forgive us. O Allah, make us of those who follow and practice his sunnah and show the reality of his sunnah in this life. O Allah, we ask You through the love of the Prophet PBUH to raise us to be genuinely from his ummah. O Allah, make us amongst those who are with the Prophet PBUH and the sahaba in Jannat al-Firdaws al-A'la. And O Allah, we ask You to accept our humble efforts and forgive us for any shortcomings. وآخر دعوانا أن الحمد لله رب العالمين
Ameen.
Even though our lectures have finished, the seerah lives on, the sunnah lives on, and the example of the Prophet PBUH lives on. Our series might have finished, but our study never finishes — we keep on going back, we keep on studying, we keep on benefiting, and we keep on learning about his life to increase our Iman, and to let people know about this amazing man. If one were to truly study this man's life without any bias, they would have nothing but love for him PBUH.
If there is any good that has come out of this entire series, know that it is from Allah SWT wanting to show the honor and the izzah of the Prophet PBUH. It is from Him completely, ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله. And if there is any mistake that has taken place —and there is no doubt that mistakes have been done— we ask that Allah SWT forgives that mistake. And it was completely from us and from the whisperings of shaytan.
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Salawat
O Allah, send salah upon Muhammad PBUH and the family of Muhammad PBUH as you have sent salah upon Ibrahim and his family. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad PBUH and the family of Muhammad PBUH as you have sent blessings upon Ibrahim and his family. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious.
[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, September 2022]
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, September 2022]
